What to say about Irene and the Breastfeeding and Beyond team. Well I write this on behalf of my…read morewife Amanda's experience. We had trouble from the start getting our son to latch (first time parents). We had an amazing experience working with Empowered Beginnings (Ashley & Dawn) as our duals. They recommended Irene as our lactation consultant. We didn't start with Irene right away. My wife didn't think it would be necessary. Let me tell you from watching breastfeeding is a skill that is learned. After having a rough 2 weeks trying and my wife fearing feeding due to the nipple pain we called Irene. We had a virtual "in home" lactation visit that was life changing. The details: 1. She was very accessible and accommodating with availability. 2. It was a simple FaceTime because that worked for us. 3. She was polite, pleasant, accommodating and skilled at coaching. She understood how my life listened and interpreted instruction. 4. Very Very through! Informative and had a ton of answers for things we didn't know to ask as new parents. Also mind you my wife and I read multiple books and took an online course. We weren't going in blind, but Irene's background of expertise is so through she knows what is not expected. 5. The FB community and basic child development support services set her apart 100%. Needless to say my wife went from being discouraged and not thinking she could fulfill her dream of breastfeeding for the first year to being optimistic. Now it wasn't one and done. My wife still struggled from time to time with getting the hang of it. Irene was there for follow up and continued support. If you are preparing or struggling with breastfeeding look no further. If you think you need in person her virtual service is perfect. Mom and baby are the physical team Irene is the wisdom and eyes to coach through the hurdles. Needless to say.... THANK YOU IRENE AND THE BREASTFEEDING AND BEYOND TEAM.

7 years ago, I brought my newborn to Irene's classes at Yale New Haven hospital. I was overwhelmed…read moreand struggling, but with her help, my son and I succeeded at breastfeeding. I listened carefully to the answers she gave other mothers, which turns out to have been great for my future; I have 3 more kids now and have nursed them all through many weird and normal issues. Without Irene, there is no way I'd have made it. If you need help, call Irene!

Susan's knowledge, guidance, resources, and overall support have been invaluable to my family. Both…read moreof my kids have had very different feeding journeys - and because of this, we have been able to utilize Susan every step of the way. From identifying oral ties, breastfeeding, bottle challenges, pumping, general discomfort - Susan has been our go to for many concerns. After birth, I received a lot of conflicting information and guidance from various lactation consultants at the hospital - the first time I met with Susan she immediately streamlined all the mixed messages I had received and drastically simplified what I was doing so I could stress less and enjoy my baby more. Thanks to Susan I was able to breastfeed my first for two years! And beyond breastfeeding, thanks to her we were able to address issues that may have impacted my son later in life. For my second baby, I decided to book a prenatal appointment with Susan. I went into the hospital feeling confident, prepared and smarter about how I wanted my feeding journey to look. I'm so glad I did this because it couldn't have been more different than my first. Make the appointment - It is with full confidence that I recommend Susan!

Susan single handily saved my breastfeeding relationship with my daughter. She took my Aetna…read moreinsurance which was a godsend. I had come to her a broken and struggling mother who's baby was destroying me mentally and physically. She reassured me that my daughter was indeed tongue tied, and that it needed revision before I would be able to be successful, even when everyone else told be she was fine. She introduced me to pace bottle feeding, and pumping to increase and persevere my supply in the meantime. Once my daughters tongue tie was fixed and my body healed Susan was then able to teach me to latch her and we continued to breastfeed over a year. Her love and support was invaluable to me. Her support groups connected me with friends whom three years later are still part of my circle. Anyone who is struggling with breastfeeding or just looking for more support look no further than Susan. I am now pregnant with my second child and I will be making appointments as soon as he is here! Thank you again Susan for all you have done for me and my family.

After my son was in the NICU for 3 weeks, I had a lot of difficulty with latching on one side. We…read morehad a great latch on one so I went with it not realizing that I was slowing production on the other side. When I got home, I tried to improve the latch to the one side on my own. The pain was unbearable and I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to tolerate breast feeding. I found Patrice on google and I am so happy I scheduled an appointment. She not only provided me support for breast feeding but was able to help me recover from the NICU stay. Patrice is extremely knowledgeable and over our 3-4 visits helped me gain more confidence and understanding of how to breast feed which ultimately helped the pain resolve! I now breastfeed with little to no pain and have a much easier time breast feeding!

I first contacted Patrice when my son was around 7 weeks and I started having some problems with…read morenursing. She came to my house within a few days of our initial conversation and took her time to take a detailed history of our breastfeeding journey to that point. Patrice was patient and kind and listened to the problems I was having as well as my hopes for my nursing in the future. She made thoughtful recommendations and suggestions that made our time breastfeeding so much better. Patrice also let me know that she ran a free support group and encouraged me and my son to join her. I can't thank her enough for her talent, time and just her calming nature. Patrice helped me through every hurdle, big and small, and because of her, we were able to nurse for much longer than I had ever imagined.

Hiring Megan was truly one of the best decisions we made postpartum. She is incredibly…read moreknowledgeable, patient, reassuring, and warm. Megan took her time to guide us through every step, ensuring we felt supported and confident. The skills she taught us have made a significant difference in our experience and made everything feel more manageable. If you're looking for someone to provide support and guidance with breastfeeding, I cannot recommend Megan enough. She has been a tremendous help to our family, and we are so grateful to her.

From the owner: Megan and Lindsey provide in-home lactation consultations across the state of Massachusetts. We…read moreoffer prenatal consultations, postpartum consultations, follow-up visits, text and e-mail support, virtual visits, and overnight or full day breastfeeding support. We strive to provide holistic, LGBTQ+ friendly, disability-informed, trauma-informed, and evidence-based care.

I can't say enough good things!! I have referred so many moms to work with Kathy Moren at HBHM…read more I got thyroid disease during pregnancy which impacted my supply and my son was unable to latch. Kathy and myself did not give up. While it is not ideal, my son was able to breast-feed for six months with a nipple shield. If it weren't for Kathy, I might have given up....and I was very determined to nurse my son as long as I physically could.

Kathy Moren and the Healthy Babies Happy Moms team were lifesavers when it came to my baby and my…read morebreastfeeding success. I would recommend that any pregnant or expectant mom call Healthy Babies Happy Moms to see if a visit with Kathy is covered by their insurance company once their baby arrives. I had over production problems, and my babies were often fussy while eating. Kathy's nursing advice set us all up for success. They also offer a new moms group - specifically a breastfeeding support group, which meets once every other week in their office. If you are a new mom or are pregnant and are looking to breastfeed, I totally recommend your calling Healthy Babies Happy Moms. They will also help you figure out what pump and lactation support your insurance covers!

My pregnancy was very eventful, it seemed like each day brought on a new difficulty. My Ob office…read morewas not helping me and didn't care about what I wanted for my pregnancy, labor and delivery. I sincerely do not know what I would have done without Vanessa. She helped me and my husband through a very difficult pregnancy, labor and delivery. She started as my midwife but quickly turned into my doula since a home birth wasn't recommended due to gestational diabetes's. She gave me information and guidance to help me stay off insulin and medication. Vanessa really cared about what "I" wanted and that was a breath of fresh air considering all the other OBs and midwifes I saw in the area like to tell me what I was going to do. I'll forever be grateful for her being by my side and helping me look forward to what was really important a healthy baby. Thank you from the bottom of my heart Vanessa. You have been such a wonderful midwife, doula and now friend to me. Thank you for what you do, for supporting what women want during their pregnancy and empowering them to do it. New Life Blessings will give you the information but let YOU make the decisions. If that's what you are looking for New Life Blessings won't let you down :) God Bless!

One of the best decision I have made during my first pregnancy is to work with Vanessa. As I was…read moretalking to her I felt connected and comfortable with her to share my most personal exPerience. She was warm and caring. At the same time she was able to demonstrate her knowledge and yet remained flexible to guide us into our own birth plan. She never imposed her opinion. She showed evidence from most current researches and helped us make our own decision. I was induced due to my overdue. With my second round of pitocin and induced labor being intensified, we asked her to come over and she showed up at the hospital. She maintained calm for entire time and her presence was absolutely reassuring. I truly loved her counter pressure and she reminded me to breath to get through the intense pain. She also knows all the procedures that I felt completely advocated by her. Also my husband felt comfortable with her coaching how to help me and he got some rest with her being with me. It was extremely helpful to have Vanessa who can professionally maintain healthy distance and guiding this overwhelming process with patience and kindness. She blended with my team and detected what I and my husband wanted accurately. I ended up having a c-section due to my fibroid and I was so scared. I never received a surgery in my life and I felt like a failure. I also hated that things did not work out the way I planned. I was very hesitant to make that decision. She was able to assist me in communicating with my husband who wanted me to get the surgery but respectful to my wish. When she gently mentioned that, I realized I tried everything I could to give a natural birth and it is the time to go on a plan B. She waited until my surgery was over and made sure we were ok. We only had positive experiences with Vanessa and strongly recommend her for anyone!!! She will make the precious birth experience as the best as it can be!

Shelly was amazing! My wife was having a very difficult time with our newborn so I was able to find…read moreShelly's contact info on here and texted her. She texted me back within just a few minutes and we where able to arrange a visit for the very next day. My wife said she was the absolute best! She essentially fixed ALL of the problems my wife was having. We wish we could give Shelly ten stars. She was a life saver!

From the owner: I am an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, providing quality and personalized…read morelactation support in the comfort of your own home. I serve Eastern and Central MA, as well as Northern RI.

After having short lived breastfeeding journey with my first I am successful the second time…read morearound! Thanks to my CLC who came to my home where it is most comfortable for baby and I. She was so respectful, calm, and empowered me. They have a portal with your entire BF plan and educational videos as well. I feel so comfortable reaching out if I have any questions or booking a follow-up for different stages of my journey. Thank you so much for helping me trust my body and helping my BF journey be a success!

Jillian and her team are amazing! I would use them again in a heartbeat- thought I hope I don't…read moreneed to:) she is professional, kind, organized and made me feel like my plans and needs were important.

In just one session, Michelle completely transformed breastfeeding from a fairly stressful task to…read morea purely enjoyable time spent between me and my baby. Her approach was simple, straightforward, and effective and her caring and compassionate demeanor made the learning process easy and stress-free. I highly recommend Michelle for any of your lactation needs!

Michelle has been an invaluable resource. From a prenatal visit to now approaching my baby's first…read morebirthday, she has helped me navigate establishing nursing and supply in those early weeks, a sudden nursing strike at 7mos, and a supply crisis at 10mos. She is sensitive, practical, empathetic, and calming. She allows you to define and share your goals whatever the situation may be, and works hard to support you around these realistically and thoughtfully. Her guidance really cuts through overwhelming lists of dos and don'ts, etc., and she always steers clear of judgement. She's truy felt like a partner to our family and I'm so grateful. I feel very lucky she was recommended to me, and I wholeheartedly recommend her to expecting friends and family.

Choosing to have Bellwether Doulas as part of my birth care team was the best decision I made for…read morethe birth of our first baby. Birth can be daunting, especially when it's your first, but they provided my husband and I with all the education, community, support, empathy, care, and guidance I needed/wanted from the preparation stage all the way through the postpartum period. Having Hailey in the room with me while I gave birth totally put me at ease, gave me confidence, and helped me get through and have the birth I ultimately envisioned. As my husband would say, "it was a no brainer to hire them."

I really can't say enough about Bellwether Doulas. Rachelle and Haley are amazing and are so…read moresupportive throughout the prenatal, birth and postpartum periods. I interviewed Rachelle for the birth of my second child and she was so incredibly helpful and when it came to my birth, she was there every step of the way. I hired them for our third child and just like the second, her and Haley were there for my husband and I throughout it ALL. We had a couple of unexpected twists and turns and I truly don't think I would have been able to cope as well as I did without their support. If you're looking for a Doula, look no further - they're the best. OH and don't skip out on the photos add on. They're so talented - you won't even remember them taking the photos and they're SO beautiful. I still look at the photos from both births often. Highly recommend!